UNDP in Yemen

Nadia Al Sakkaf – a Yemeni Businesswoman receives Business for Peace Award, honored on May 14th at Akershus Nobel Prize Fortress in Oslo

14 May 2013

Nadia Al Sakkaf - Photo by: Per Oscar Skjellnan

This year, UNDP has developed a new strategic partnership with the Business for Peace Foundation and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to promote the Business for Peace Award. UNDP country offices were invited to support this year’s nomination process. Nominations were received from over 50 countries, and a Yemeni business woman, Nadia Al Sakkaf, nominated by UNDP Yemen, has been chosen as Honoree.

UNDP is truly proud to have her in the exclusive group of Business for Peace Honorees.

The Business for Peace Award is considered to be the highest distinction given to a businessperson for outstanding business worthy accomplishments.

The Honorees were selected by winners of the Nobel Prizes in Peace and in Economics.

The award is given to leaders in the private sector, who have demonstrated transformative and positive change that business can create with ethical business practices.

The Award has legacy and is sustainable, with the provision of up to 7 doctoral scholarships awarded annually in the winner’s name to students pursuing doctoral research in this area.

The theme of this year's Summit is «Business in Fragile Environments.» In Yemen's fragile transition context, UNDP ensures that business contributes to, rather than undermines, sustainable human development. The award is a new opportunity to engage more strategically with the private sector. Indeed, a constructive relationship between business and society is crucial to foster conditions that lead to peace and stability instead of conflict.

Nadia Al Sakkaf is an inspirational example for conducting responsible business in a fragile environment, contributing to peace and woman empowerment in Yemen. She's heading Yemen's first independent English language newspaper, established in 1991 to promote freedom, human rights and democracy. With "Radio Yemen Times" launched in 2012, she also created the first free public platform for expression. Nadia has successfully recruited female journalists, who are presently half of the staff. Indeed, YT is a gender balanced organization with an almost equal number of female staff to men, which is unusual in Yemeni establishments.

Nadia has pioneered internship programs in Yemen and today Yemen Times is one of the few organizations in Yemen which opts for annual financial and administrative auditing as part of its commitment to transparency.

YT is an environment friendly organization that encourages preservation of energy and recycling, and also participates in community development through charity and development programs such as campaigning against injustices from political detainees to early marriage, mobilizing the local community to helping the poor through organization donations of clothes or food an redistributing them to poor areas, encouraging volunteerism and social responsibility through youth based programs.

Under the leadership of Nadia, YT establishment has been an icon in Yemen community development both through its civil society projects and through the various internship programs it provides to young Yemenis. The legacy Yemen Times years has touched the hearts and minds of many Yemenis whose attitudes have dramatically changed when it comes to women’s situation, democracy, even truth finding and standing up for minorities.